Private Colleges Are Not Out Of Reach

May 27, 1987|By Richard Rosser, President, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

WASHINGTON — Your recent series on college tuitions raised many important issues of concern to families as they consider college. It would be tragic, however, if the article caused families to give up their dream of students attending the college of their choice.

Contrary to the image you portray, the vast majority of private college presidents are, by necessity, acutely sensitive to the impact on families of tuition increases. Many, in fact, have very low tuitions: Nearly 12 percent of all four-year private colleges set tuitions below $3,000 per year in 1987. Most private institutions literally compete for students with taxpayer-subsidized state colleges and with other local private colleges and must keep tuitions as low as possible.

Why, then, are private colleges more expensive? Most fundamentally, because they do not receive state subsidies like the public institutions. But further, tuitions go up because quality is expensive. Providing financial aid to less affluent students is expensive. Programs that students want and need

--career and personal counseling, computer studies, laboratories--are expensive. Maintaining a liberal arts program is expensive. All of the

``inefficient`` services that colleges provide to students and their communities are expensive. But they are necessary to provide the kind of education that students deserve and to graduate the kind of citizens the nation needs.

Indeed, no student pays the full price of his or her education. Private college tuitions cover less than half of the total cost of educating a student, with the balance coming from endowment, gifts, sales of services and government.

Another reason that tuitions have risen in the last few years is the decline in the value of federal student aid. Private colleges have increased their own aid to students by 200 percent since 1982 to make up for the loss, and there is now $3 billion in institutional aid available to private college students.

Does this mean that a private college education is easy for those of us who are not wealthy? Of course not. But neither is it as difficult as the articles indicated and families should not be scared off. Most private colleges are not as expensive as the ones cited, and the highest priced colleges often have the most aid to offer. Overall, there is some $23 billion in government, private and institutional financial aid available to help students and most private colleges will compete to put together an aid package most attractive to the student.

Because a private college can provide an education best suited to the needs and interests of each individual student, it remains worth the effort. I believe that the 2.7 million students now enrolled at private institutions nationwide would agree.